The Mediator: Egyptian Style
by Frolicking Bananas
Summary: [Complete] An Egyptian honeymoon...how exotic. Only, exotic is more than what Suze and Jesse's honeymoon turns out to be. While trying to solve a murder, they come across an evil Egyptian princess who wants Suze dead.[Sequel to Getting Started]
1. The Ghost

The Mediator: Egyptian Style

"Jesse," I said while giggling. Yes, I, Susannah Simon, was giggling.

We were on the king size water bed in our hotel suite. Jesse was blowing raspberries on my stomach. Immature, I know, but still, his lips were touching me. And it was also romantic in a weird way.

Jesse looked up and smiled at me. But there was something in that grin of his, something almost...evil? _Uh oh._

I realized what he was about to do, but was too late to stop it.

He started tickling me.

I started laughing right away.

"Jesse," I said, trying to get him to stop, "stop it!"

You'd think he would stop too. I mean this is the guy that stops kissing me out of nowhere because he thinks he was being too forward. But there he is tickling me and me begging him to stop. And he doesn't. Stop, I mean.

I was kicking my legs, trying to get him off me, but he just wouldn't budge.

Then my leg hit something.

Jesse fell off the bed groaning and holding his...

...Oopsie.

Shit, I kicked him there.

I got off the bed and bent down beside him.

"Jesse," I said, trying so hard not to laugh. I mean, I know I hurt him and all, but it was still funny. "I'm SO sorry!"

He tried to smile at me to tell me it was okay, but I think he was hurting too much. I mean, I kick pretty hard for a girl and Jesse definitely knows that. If he didn't before, he definitely does now.

After a few more minutes, he just lay there not moving. I guess I really hurt him.

Then he spoke, "I guess I'll never do that again."

And, me being me, I laughed.

But then I couldn't stop laughing. I was in a fit of giggles and just lying on the floor laughing uncontrollably.

"Susannah," Jesse said.

I tried looking at him with a straight face, but then just cracked up laughing again.

Pathetic, I know, but you just HAD to be there. It was hilarious. Well, at least I think it was.

Jesse just rolled his eyes and came over to me. He scooped me up in his arms and lay me back on the bed. Then he lay down next to me.

I finally stopped laughing. But I knew that Jesse knew that anything could set me off again. So we remained silent. However, I personally think that's the worst, because it leaves me to think.

I started laughing again. Not as bad, but I was still in peals of laughter.

I knew Jesse was getting fed up with it, but I just couldn't help it.

Apparently Jesse had had enough, if him climbing on top of me and kissing me was any indication. That shut me up pretty quickly too.

That one little kiss turned into a full-blown make-out session.

Jesse was drawing little squiggles on my stomach with his fingers. That tickled a bit but not enough to make me start giggling. My hands were lying on his back, underneath his shirt.

His fingers were slowly creeping up towards my bra. I knew soon enough that they'd be _under_ my bra. Jesse really doesn't have a problem with this anymore. Us making out, I mean. I mean, we are married and on our _honeymoon_. There has to be some nice hot 'n steamy make-out sessions on the honeymoon. Maybe even some baby-making?

Well, the last part I'm not so sure about. Jesse still thinks I'm still too young. Who cares if I'm only eighteen? We are _married_ now. We should be able to have sex. Sex is good; it helps to make a healthy marriage.

We had both removed our shirts, which left Jesse to undo my bra. He was still lying on top of me, his hands lingering ever so near my breats. He slid his hands up and down my side and then stopped when he felt the underwire. He slowly traced the underwire with his perfect fingers and stopped at the clasp. I prayed to God that I had worn the front closing one today.

He seemed unsure of whether to continue or not. So I pulled him toward me and kissed him to assure him that it was completely okay with me if he continued. It was more of a hungry-passionate kiss. Oh, my God. I wanted him so badly, you have no idea.

After we broke apart from the kiss, he obliged and unclasped my bra. He seemed like he was in a daze; he was just staring at my half-naked body.

After what felt like ages, he tore his eyes from my body and looked into my eyes. And he grinned.

Then he lay on top of me. His naked chest pressing against mine. And he kissed me.

Boy that was a kiss I felt all the way to my toes. It made me feel wanted and loved and unbelievably good. Of course I returned it with just as much - if not more - passion.

Then all of a sudden he broke away.

"Jesse..." I whined. I wanted more. What was he doing?

"Querida, we have company," he said, while throwing me my shirt. I looked around and saw a forty-something year old man, ogling at me. I quickly put my shirt on. Perve.

I narrowed my eyes at the guy. "What do you want?"

The bald guy looked a little taken aback and freaked out. "Y-you can see m-me?" he stuttered.

"Uh, duh," I said. I always get the stupid ones. Can't any of them be smart like Jesse? Well, actually Jesse said the same thing when I first met him, but that's totally different.

"Oh," he said.

"Well, what're you doing here?" I asked him.

He looked at me with sorrow in his eyes, "I died."

I looked at him like he was stupid. "Duh, I knew that. What I meant was, why are you still here?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, lets start off easy, what's your name?"

"Harrison Matthews."

"Okay, Mr. Matthews, how did you die?" I asked the dead guy. He looked really sad. Well, they all do, but he looked weird.

"I don't know fully, but I know I was attacked from behind and knocked out. Then I woke up like this," he said. Okay, not enough information.

"Do you know where you were?" Jesse asked this.

"Yeah, I was in a passageway inside a pyramid exploring," he answered. Well, it makes sense. This _is_ Egypt after all.

Next time we have a honeymoon, remind me to go somewhere quiet, like Aruba, or Hawaii.

"So, what are you, a historian?" I asked.

He nodded. "Well, sort of. I'm also an archaeologist."

"That's cool." I said. Jesse rolled his eyes at me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Nothing, Susannah," he answered.

"Fine, Mr. Cowboy," I remarked.

He got a little angry there. Not really angry like the first time I said that, but a little peeved.

"Shut up, _Susie_," he said. _Hey..._

"That was mean Jesse," I added.

He just smirked at me.

"Um, hello?" Mr. Harrison Matthews said.

Jesse and I turned our attention back to the old dude.

"Huh?" I asked in reference to his interruption.

"Nevermind, continue," he said and dematerialized, leaving Jesse and I alone again. _Finally!_

Jesse turned back to me and said, "Susannah, you were rather mean to that man."

I just scowled at him. What, no sympathy? "Yeah, you'd be too, if he was ogling you."

He blushed a bit. Um, okay...

"Susannah..."

"Jesse..." I said mocking his tone.

"Querida, please," he said.

Then he did something very un-Jesse like.

He tackled me and pinned me beneath him on the bed.

I looked into his eyes, completely stunned. He was smiling - no, grinning - at me. Wonder what his deal is.

Then he swooped down and kissed me, hard. Well, this is a-okay with me.

I kissed him back, harder and hungrier. I wanted Jesse so _badly_.

We stripped off our shirts again, leaving us both very naked on top.

Jesse pushed himself up a bit to get a better look at me. I just wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back toward me.

We kissed and kissed and kissed. Jesse hands were cupping my breasts very gently. It felt so good to be touched there, especially by Jesse.

Then he realized what we were doing.

And him being Jesse, he pulled away very abruptly.

I was a bit shocked. I mean, the man is my _husband_ now. We should be allowed to do this on our honeymoon. I don't see what the problem is. But I guess Jesse knows what this could lead to.

I sighed after he pulled away. I think he heard because he just went "Susannah." That's right, just said my name.

"Jesse," I said, teasingly, back at him.

I could feel him rolling his eyes at me even though his back was turned.

"Susannah, we have two weeks to do this, lets go out and explore," he said.

"Jesse, we have two weeks to explore, lets do this tonight," I shot right back at him.

"I see your point," he said. I pulled him back toward me and before we knew it, the rest of our clothes were in a pile on the floor, collecting dust.

He looked me in the eyes, "_Querida_, are you sure you want to do this?"

I smiled and said, "I'm positive Jesse," and gave him a very deep kiss to prove my point.

After he made sure we were protected, he asked again, "Susannah, you are absolutely positive?"

"Of course I am! I've been waiting a long time Jesse," I answered.

"Yeah, so have I," I heard him mutter under his breath. I smiled. Yeah, 150 years is a long time to wait to have sex.

And, well, for lack of a better phrase, we had sex. I mean, it was not really all that great. I could tell Jesse was enjoying it, though. And I guess I did enjoy it, but on more of an emotional level. I was making Jesse happy, and that's really all that mattered in the end, right? Making the one I love happy?

After he was finished, he discarded the you-know-what and lay back down on the bed, pulling me into his arms.

"Susannah, are you alright?" he asked, worriedly.

"Mmhmm," I mumbled.

"_Querida_, you'll feel better soon," he said and kissed my forehead.

"I hope so," I replied.

"I guess we'll have to practice then," he said slyly. Exactly what I was thinking! Except, I hope the second time doesn't hurt as much, "I heard it gets better querida," he said, as if reading my mind.

"Me too." I replied.

Jesse lay back on the bed next to me and wrapped his arms around me. We kissed a little and talked about stuff. Then I had a thought.

"Jesse, do you want to have kids?" I asked.

"Of course I do," he answered, "but I think we should wait until after college,_ querida_."

"I know, but I just was wondering," I said.

"Alright, Susannah."

"Jesse, what would you do if I was to get pregnant now?" I asked.

"Uh, why do you ask that, _querida_?"

"I just wanted to know."

He hesitated. "I'd be very happy, Susannah, but it would be hard caring for a child right now."

"I know," I answered.

We just lay there in silence, taking in each other's presence. We kissed a little more and then fell asleep, me in Jesse's warm embrace.

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**Disclaimer:** The Mediator series belongs to Meg Cabot, not me. Go bow down to her.


	2. Breakfast

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

I hear noises. What are they?

I woke up to find that the noises had gone away. Whats going on?

Oww. I ache. Really badly. Ahhh, it hurts!

I looked next to me and saw that Jesse was missing. I got up with the sheet wrapped around me and went over to the dresser. I saw a note written in old-fashioned calligraphy. _Jesse. _

Susannah,

I went out to get some breakfast. I'll be back in a little while. I hope you are feeling better querida.

Love,

Jesse

Oh. I guess that explains it then.

I stripped myself of the sheets and ran into the bathroom. I closed the door behind me.

I turned on the hot water and then went to the bathroom. I had to pee really bad.

Then I hopped into the shower, letting the steaming water carress my body. It felt really good.

Thats when I decided to take a bath instead. So, I hopped out of the shower and turned the water off. Then I went walked out and into the little adjoining part where the tub was.

I turned the water on in the tub and went to the little closet that was in there and found some bath bubbles. I pored them in and almost instantly the bathtub filled up with bubbles. It looked so appealing. You know, there was even a jacuzzi in this suite, but I'll wait to go in there with Jesse. Its no fun by yourself.

I grabbed a bath pillow. I set myself in the bathtub, with the pillow behind my head, and the bubbles covering my body like a blanket. I closed my eyes and just soaked.

I washed my hair and body, and then I just soaked some more. I was really tired. I guess thats what finally doing that certain activity does to you.

Suddenly I heard Jesse knock on the bathroom door. "Susannah, are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a little bit," I answered.

"Take your time."

I just lay there for a few more minutes. Then I remembered that Harrison guy. What was his deal? What was he studying in the pyramid? I didn't even know you were allowed in them, let alone there actually being an opening. Wait, thats where they buried the pharaohs isn't it?

I'm so stupid.

But how exactly did he die? I mean, his death was what was probably holding him back. Not that he died, but _how_ he died.

Getting conked on the head is not a very peaceful way to die.

Thats when thinking was too much for me and I started to get a migraine.

I got out of the tub, still aching a little bit. I took the giant white fluffy towel and wrapped it around my body. And then towel-dried my hair. I could always straighten it later.

Then I emerged from the bathroom. Jesse was in a chair reading the newspaper. Typical.

He looked at me and smiled. "I was not sure how you were feeling. So I got a variety of things for you to choose from."

"Thanks, Jesse," I said. I walked over to the bed and looked in the bag. There was an egg, porkroll, and cheese bagel sandwich, a chocolate chip muffin, a plain bagel with cream chease, and a boston creme doughnut.

I started laughing, it was really funny if you thought about it.

"Susannah, please don't start again," Jesse pleaded. Okay, I wasn't as bad as I was last night, but he knew what it could lead to.

"I'm sorry, Jesse, but its just funny that you got all this for me."

"Yes, well I didn't know what mood you would be in this morning."

I rolled my eyes at him. I picked up the muffin and took a bite out of the top.

"Did you eat anything yet?" I asked with my mouth full of muffin. This can't be why he loves me, though.

"No, I wanted to see what you ate. I was just going to eat what you didn't," he answered.

"Oh."

"_Querida_?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you not talk with your mouth full?"

I rolled my eyes again. "Yes, mother."

I saw the smile break out across his face. Hey, at least I entertain him. And not just in the humorous way either.

I finished my muffin pretty fast. I threw away the paper thingy.

Then I went and sat in Jesse's lap as he was eating the bagel sandwich. Yes, I was still in a towel. I just want to see how long it takes for it to "fall" off of me.

After Jesse finished his sandwich, I turned around and kissed him. He was a little surprised at first, but then gladly returned it.

There we were, making out. Me in a towel and him fully clothed.

And Mr. Harrison Matthews had to go and ruin it. _Again._

"Is this all you two ever do?" he asked boredly.

I knew I should have stopped kissing Jesse but he was just so hot and I craved him. However, Jesse seemed to resist temptations, for he pulled apart.

"Susannah, go get changed," he told me. I pouted and stalked off to the dresser, grabbed a cute orange bikini, then went to the closet and grabbed my soft yellow sundress. Then I went into the bathroom and changed.

Stupid Harry guy.

Meanie. He just _had _to pick that moment to interrupt us, didn't he?

Mmhmm, he did. What an ass. I mean, who _does _that? Well obviously he does, but besides him?

Nope, don't see anyone else doing that. Well, anyone else of the dead variety.

Whatever.

I finished getting changed. Then I straightened my hair and put some make up on.

Then I walked out of the bathroom to find Harry and Jesse in a deep conversation.

Jesse turned around and smiled at me as Harrison dematerialized.

I walked over to him and sat on his lap again. He put is arms around me and nuzzled my neck.

"So, Jesse, you find out anything interesting?" I queried.

"Yes, actually, I have," he answered.

He didn't say more, so I asked, "Care to elaborate?"

"Oh, yes, well Mr. Matthews was actually killed in the Red pyramid, the one we are going to see today. It is a very interesting coincidence. He also said that he was studying the writings on King Snefaru's tomb, the king that the Red Pyramid was built for," Jesse explained.

Hmm, very interesting stuff.

Very interesting indeed.

Now can we get back to making out?

"Susannah," Jesse said in an I-know-what-you're-thinking tone. He usually always knows what I'm thinking about. Most of the time when it involves him in the physical way, if you catch my drift.

"Yes, Jesse?" I asked innocently. However, he saw right through the cherubic act and settled for a smirk, which looked absolutely hot on him - well everything looks hot on Jesse, but you know, it was sexy.

I looked at him and smiled in an impish way. Then flung my arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He returned it with equal passion and love. Oh, how lucky I feel. However, I know something will go wrong - eventually. But lets not think about that right now. Lets think about how pleasurable Jesse's kisses were.

Then he broke away.

I looked at him in shock.

"_Querida_, we should get going now," was all he said.

Going? Where are we going?

"We are going to visit the Red Pyramid today, Susannah," he explained..

Oh. Can't we make out more? I mean, I'd so rather do that than visit some stanky old crumbly pyramid. And it's the same pyramid that Harry guy was killed in. See, I was paying attention.

I think Jesse knows how to read minds. Honestly. Unless he just knows me all too well. I'll just go for the latter. Jesse being able to read minds? That's creepy. Really creepy. I mean, he could be reading my every thought, which are very private and not to mention extremely embarrassing.

* * *

**_Disclaimer_**: Meg Cabot owns the Mediator series, not me. I'm just writing about her awesome characters because I have no life. 


	3. Hieroglyphics

****

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

"Have you found anything, Susannah?" Jesse asked me from another room. God, he asked that like a thousand times now. I mean, I love the guy to death, but its like, could ya shut up for a minute?

Jesse and I were wandering around in the Red Pyramid. Yes, we were actually _in_ the pyramid. There was a tour and crap, but Jesse decided that we would steer away from the tour. Yes, you read that right. _Jesse_ decided, not me. So don't go jumping to conclusions.

You know, I really don't think they'd realize we were gone, anyway. I mean, there were like hundreds of people on the one tour alone. Who's going to know if we're gone? It's not like high school field trips, where they keep check and everything. In high school, if you got lost, the school was screwed. Out in the real world, if you got lost, you were screwed. Talk about assuring.

"No, Jesse," I replied.

I was looking through this one room that was off-limits. And Jesse was in another forbidden room - this is so unlike Jesse. I was examining some of the inscriptions on the walls. We learned about this stuff in like elementary school. What were they called again? Hyphoglurics? No.

Hindoglyphics?

No. What the hell was it?

Um . . .—

"Have you seen any of the Hieroglyphics?" he asked.

That's it! Hieroglyphics!

God, I'm such an air head.

"Yeah!" I called back.

A second later, Jesse came running in. "Really?" he asked.

I nodded and pointed to what I was looking at. Not that I could understand it, though. I mean, it was _Egyptian_ for Pete's sake - and who the hell is Pete, anyway? I'm not an archaeologist. I'm Susannah Simon. Well, I guess you already knew that, but there's no harm in reminding you.

"Wow," I heard him mutter. He was scanning the inscriptions on the wall. He looked so fascinated in it. Well, anything involving history fascinates him, so yeah. But, I mean, hello? Pay a little attention to me. I'm your wife and just had sex with you last night and you're just ignoring me.

Then he looked at me. "Susannah, this is great."

He was beaming and you could tell that we had gotten somewhere. We found some interesting stuff and Jesse was actually acknowledging that I was present.

I replied, "Yeah, yeah it—"

I would've finished my sentence, really I would have. But Jesse made it so I was incapable of speaking at that moment.

No, he didn't gag me. God, he would _never_ do that. I don't know what you people are thinking...

Anywho, he kissed me. It was one hell of a kiss too.

Too bad it was interrupted by a blood-curdling scream. Can intimate times between Jesse and myself _ever_ go nicely?

I take that as a no.

Jesse and I quickly pulled apart and looked at each other with wide eyes; then we looked in the direction that the scream had come from.

I don't know what Jesse was thinking, but I sure as hell know what my thoughts were. They were along the lines of 'What the fuck . . . ?'

We were about to walk towards the sound, when another scream sounded in the opposite direction.

Talk about confusing.

Jesse and I looked at each other quickly.

He had confusion written all over his face. And shock.

Then he spoke. "Susannah," he said, "uh, should we go?"

I knew what he was asking, but I felt compelled to ask, "Go where, exactly, Jesse?"

He studied my face for a second. "Towards the screams. I mean, if someone was screaming like that, they must be in great peril."

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, just with less words. But, I had this weird feeling . . .

It was like . . . I knew something wasn't right. Then again, I really didn't want to go against Jesse's better judgement - if that _was_ his better judgement anyway - because he's usually got better instincts than I do. However, you know what they say about a woman's intuition . . . . .

Another scream erupted from the same direction as the first. Man, this was getting irritating. And not to mention extremely confusing.

I looked at Jesse for instructions. "Jesse, what do we do?" I inquired.

He just looked at me. Great, _now_ you look at me. Pfft. Men.

He shook his head. "I - I don't know, Susannah," he replied, "I guess we should see what is going on . . ." he trailed off. I heard it in his voice. I knew he was unsure too. Well, duh. But, I mean, I knew he had a feeling too. A feeling that something wasn't right.

"Jesse," I said, kind of uneasy - not in a queasy way, "I don't . . . I think we should either get out of here or call whats his face," I supplied. I knew that something was fishy. And no my legs WEREN'T open.

Um, yeah.

Something was definitely wrong here. I guess it was me being a shifter and all.

Jesse nodded, "You're right, we should."

Well, that was lovely. We should what, Jesse? I suggested two things, you know.

I looked at him expectantly. I was waiting for him to say which we should do.

"Jesse, we should do what?" I asked.

"Uh, I think we should call Mr. Matthews and have him investigate and then get the hell out of here," he said. Ha, Jesse said hell. I guess being confused can get to you.

Well, since Jesse said so, I called the guy.

He appeared moments later in a shimmer of blue light. "Yes?" he asked tiredly.

Then, as if realizing something, he said, "Hey, you guys actually have clothes on."

Hmph. What an ass.

I chose to act immature, so I rolled my eyes. Then I said, "We have quite a dilemma on our hands, Harry."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "What did you say?"

"I said, 'we have quite a dilemma'," I repeated.

"No, I meant, what did you call me?" he asked.

"Um, Harry?" I replied.

His eyes got narrower. "Don't you EVER call me that again, you hear me? I hate that name. Its—"

"Look, I get it okay? Sorry. Now can you please help us out here?" I asked.

He nodded. "Whats the prob— ?"

He was interrupted by yet another scream, which came from the right and sounded like it was a little closer than the others. That realization kind of freaked me out a little.

"Oh," was all he said.

"Yeah, I, uh, we kind of have a bad feeling about this, so would you mind like investigating or something?" I queried.

He rolled his eyes at me. God, only I can do that, not some old guy. "Fine," he said and disappeared.

Again, I looked at Jesse expectantly, but for a different reason this time. "Jesse, this is starting to freak me out," I confessed.

"Me too," he admitted. Wow, Jesse is freaked out. I never would have guessed. Really.

Jesse came over and put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him. We just stood there for a several moments until Harry - uh, _Harrison_ - came back.

When he did, he gave us a look of disgust. Then he said, "I've checked out everything. They must have gone or something . . ." he trailed off. I could hear the disbelief in his tone. This wasn't good.

Jesse and I found our way out after Harrison had dematerialized. We sat out and waited for the rest of the tour group to come out.

But I swear, as we were leaving the pyramid, I heard someone following us. And I don't think it was dear old Mr. Matthews either.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Mediator series belongs to the ever wonderful Meg Cabot. 


	4. Damn Chinese Food Man

****

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

Jesse took me to a nice little restaurant near our hotel to have lunch. It was very nice indeed. I had a caesar salad and chicken francaise - you know, that lemony chicken stuff - and a little side of pasta. I know, very...formal for a stupid little lunch, but Jesse insisted.

After lunch, Jesse decided we try something different.

Different...

I was wondering what he meant by different, because, obviously, he hadn't specified what, exactly, we were trying. Which totally ticked me off. But I held my anger in. For now.

He took us to this little place that was about a mile or so from the Sphinx. I asked Jesse why we couldn't just go to the Sphinx, but he said we would go there soon enough. I really don't see the point in that either. I mean, we were here. Why not go there?

Whatever.

He led me to this little shack that looked like it would collapse if someone touched it.

_Looks are deceiving, _querida.

AAAHHH! What the hell?

I shuddered. That was...weird.

I took a glance at Jesse and he just smirked.

HA, I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU COULD READ MINDS!

I heard Jesse chuckle. I knew he was laughing at me.

Hmph. Meanie. I just had a revelation and he has to go and _laugh_ at me.

Well, pfft to you, butt head.

Can you beat that? Huh?

Ha, I thought so.

Jesse was laughing harder now.

_No, I can't beat that,_ querida.

Heehee...this is kinda fun.

...Except, I wish I could read his mind. You know, to see what dirty thoughts he's thinking about me.

Jesse snorted.

Oops, I forgot he still had access to my head.

We reached the little shack. The little man inside asked Jesse how many.

How many what?

You'll see.

"Two, please," Jesse said to the guy.

As the guy was handing Jesse the two whatevers, I glanced behind the shack and noticed that there was one very large, very wooden gate. I swear I did not see that earlier, but...how could I have missed it? It looked as if it would attract a lot of attention. Then again, I wasn't the most observant person in the world.

Jesse put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Follow me."

I did and soon we were on the other side of the abnormally large gate. I looked around, expecting to find...something. Anything other than what was there...

...Which happened to be a shit load of camels.

Figures. When I think Jesse is being cute and sexy, not telling me where we're going and all, I figure it must be something...romantic. I guess I was wrong. Again.

You think I was being cute and sexy?

Yes. But what's with all of the...camels?

_You'll see. And it _will_ be romantic, _querida_, just...not for a little while._

Well that makes a whole lot of sense.

I followed Jesse to yet another shack. This one seemed a bit more stable, though. He handed the tickets to the old guy standing there. The guy came out of the shack and led us to two camels.

The first thing I noticed when we were walking closer to them was that there were two very large humps on each of their backs.

I know, I know. Its normal for a camel to have two humps on their backs. Its where they store their water or whatever. But its just weird seeing them in reality, not like in a textbook or something. Or on the National Geographic channel.

The guy, whose name turned out to be Thomas, gave us the instructions and everything and told us we had the camels until 8 pm. Joy.

We led the camels out the gate and then Jesse helped me on mine and he got on his.

The first thing I noticed when I was on it was that it SMELLED. Man, and Jesse thought this could be romantic? What the hell was he thinking?

Well, I thought you might want to do something a little...different.

"I did, Jesse, but this is just...weird," I said, aloud.

He chuckled and said, "Yes, it is."

You know, I'm starting to think somebody slipped something in Jesse's drink. Well, if he _had_ a drink, that is.

The camels walked alongside each other for a good fifteen minutes.

"Where are we going?" I asked. I could see the Sphinx getting closer and closer, but I just wasn't thinking, I guess, when I asked that.

"You'll see, Susannah," he answered, again.

Pfft.

Five minutes later, we arrived at the Sphinx. Jesse got off the camel and helped me off of mine.

Jesse walked the camels to this other little shack - what is with these shacks? - and handed them over to the guy in there. Then he came over to me, put his arm around my waist, and we walked over to the tourist group.

I despise tourists, even if I am one.

I noticed Jesse trying not to laugh at what I just thought. Why can't he get out of my head? Why can't I get in his head?

Hmph. This sucks.

Okay, concentrate, Suze, and...stop thinking so much.

I tried, I really did. The concentrating part was easy, but the whole not thinking thing was HARD. Just when I was about to give up hope, I heard it. Part of his thoughts. Not much, but it was something.

She is so beautiful. Why did she choose me over him? I love her with all of my heart, but its just hard to think that she cared for me even when I was...dead.

Okay, maybe it WAS much. That's what he really thought, though?

Jesse, I'd choose you a million times if it came down to that. And I love you too, with all of my heart _and_ soul.

Jesse looked at me with plain shock on his face. I smiled at him and gave him a peck on the lips. I saw that he was smiling too after that.

"_Querida_, I didn't – I mean, I just th—"

"Shh," I said, putting a finger to his lips. "I love you and that's all that matters, Jesse." And then I added, "Underestimated me, didn't ya?"

I was referring to the mind reading thing.

"No, I knew you could do it, but just not then," he admitted.

"Let's just join the tour now," I said.

He smiled again and we followed the tour group. The guide was telling us about how the purpose and how and why it was created remains an enigma to this day.

Yes, I was listening to the tour guide, folks.

I was listening to how the nose and the beard were broken off. The lady said that the nose may have been shot down by one of Napoleon's men.

Then a guy in the crowd spoke up. "No it wasn't, ma'am. The nose was broken off by a Turk during the Turkish period during target practice," he said.

The whole crowd looked back at the lady and she said, "Well, that may be sir, but that's not what I was told."

"You might want to tell your mentor to get his facts right," he said.

"That's enough, sir, thank you," she said.

He shut up. I guess he figured he humiliated the lady enough.

"He's right, you know," Jesse said to me.

"Huh?" I said. I know, sexy, right?

"What that man said about the nose being broken off. I read that in a few books when I snuck into the library as a ghost," he told me.

Well this was news to me. Not the nose thing; that he used to _sneak_ into the library.

I decided to let it drop, though.

The rest of the tour was pretty uneventful. At the end, which was about two hours or so later, we got back on our camels and headed back to the shack.

We brought them back through the gates and handed them off to Thomas. But before the camel got pulled away, he came over to me and slobbered all over my face.

"EWWWW!" I screamed.

Ugh, that was SO nasty.

I could hear Jesse's laughs reverberating through my head.

"Its not FUNNY, Jesse!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, yes, it is," he replied.

Thomas handed me a towel that he fetched. I wiped my face off and threw it at Jesse. Some of the slobber got on his shirt and he scowled at me.

"Not so funny, now, is it, _Jesse_," I said.

And for laughing at me, you aren't getting ANY tonight.

At first I didn't think he knew what I meant because he just kept staring at me.

He handed the towel to the guy, who reluctantly took it and said, "Come on, Susannah, let's go."

I'm sorry, Susannah. Forgive me. Please.

Nope. I've made my decision.

He rolled his eyes at me.

We walked back to the car and drove back to the hotel.

The whole time in the car we were quiet. No, we weren't fighting. But...there wasn't really much to be said, you know?

By the time we got back to our room - or should I say suite - it was already dinner time. And boy was I hungry.

I turned to Jesse, who was sitting on the bed, and said, "I'm hungry. Let's get some food."

Jesse laughed a little.

"Are you?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, "_really_ hungry."

"Okay, I saw a nice diner as we were driving back. Maybe we could go there?"

I scrunched my face up. "No fancy food tonight, Jesse. Take out sounds perfect. Chinese food."

He looked at me strangely. Then he said, "Is there a phone book around?"

I looked around until I found one. He skimmed through it until he found the number. Then he ordered.

"Done," he said. "They said twenty minutes, _querida_. What shall we do until then?"

"Nuh uh, Jesse, I already told you. You are punished. Time out for you," I said, "Meaning NO sexual favors tonight."

Gah, I can't believe I said 'sexual' around Jesse. It sounds weird saying it to him. Then adding 'favors' onto it...weird.

He stood up from the bed and came over to me. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Oh god...

He was making me hot...

Really hot...

His lips were so, so close to mine...

...Stick to your promise, Suze!

I looked into his eyes and said, "Y-yes, I _am_ sure."

"Really?" he asked and moved that little bit closer.

Aww, what the hell.

I pulled his head down the rest of the way and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around my waist while I wrapped mine around his neck. Then he picked me up and carried me over to the bed.

He laid me down on the bed, while he got on top of me. He placed his arms next to my sides so I wouldn't get all of his weight.

Then he began softly kissing my neck. And boy, let me tell you, Jesse de Silva sure as hell knows how to make a girl feel good. The sensations his lips were making across my skin were addictive and...and...

...and I just wanted more.

He stopped and looked me in the eyes, while he lifted his left hand and gently caressed my face.

I smiled sweetly and lifted my head up slightly so I could kiss him. His kisses were so passionate and loving that I could never get enough of them. I _needed_ them. More so than I ever thought possible.

I felt his tongue press lightly against my lips. So, I opened my mouth, and allowed its entrance. Our tongues explored places that had already been conquered, but it seemed new and awesome (A/N: Sorry for the lack of descriptive words) every time.

I felt his hand slowly creep under my t-shirt, teasing the skin there playfully. I kinda moaned into his mouth as he did that. Since he was feeling me up, I felt it was my duty to only return the favor.

Yeah...right.

I slid my hands under his shirt, feeling all of the ripples in his abdomen that were his perfect, washboard abs.

Then I felt him slowly pushing my shirt up, so it was right below my bra. We broke apart from the kiss long enough to remove my t-shirt - and get some air. Instead of going back to my mouth, he went to my neck and chest and began planting little kisses there. Then he worked his way to my left ear and sucked on it, creating this _very_ weird feeling inside of me.

As he pleasured me in so many ways, I tugged on his shirt so it could be removed. He put his arms up and I lifted it over his head and dropped it on the floor next to me.

He then starting kissing down my torso and ending at my lower stomach. Then he did something really weird. He undid my pants with his teeth. How he did that, I'll never know. When he did it, though, I was too far into...what we were doing to care.

He gently slid my pants off and dumped them on the floor. Poor pants; I'm sure they wanted some action too.

Then I proceeded to flip us over so I was on top. I did the same thing Jesse did - you know, kissing down his torso - except I didn't undo his pants with my teeth.

I put my hands over the top portion of his jeans, which made him shudder beneath me, and went to unbutton them. I did, too.

I wanted his pants off so damn badly.

God, he was so sexy and hot and amazing and sexy—

There was a knock at the door.

Damn Chinese food man.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Mediator series belongs to Meg Cabot. 


	5. What's Wrong?

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

Jesse answered the door, not even bothering to button up his pants on the way. I saw the look on the delivery guy's face. It was priceless.

Jesse paid the guy, tipped him, and brought back our food. We had a kitchen in our suite, so he put it in there. "_Querida_," he called from there, "are you still hungry?"

Did he even have to ask?

I mean, seriously. I was horny as hell and the freakin' delivery man came too soon, so I didn't get any.

Of course I wasn't hungry. Well, for food, I mean.

I got out of the bed and sauntered (as sexily as possible) over to the kitchen area. I put my arms around his waist from behind and kissed his neck. "Yes, I'm still hungry," I said, in answer to his previous question. When he turned around with disappointment on his face, I grinned. "But not for food."

He took that information pretty well.

He bent down and kissed me . . . well, hungrily. I kissed back, of course. Then he lifted me up, sat me on the counter, and stood between my legs. He kissed me so passionately and - and just . . .lovingly that I couldn't take it any more. I _needed_ him. And, by God, I would get him.

So I edged myself closer to him, pulling his bottom half closer to mine. And - uh . . . I could feel that he was quite ready for me.

I hopped off the counter and walked away toward the bedroom. I could tell Jesse hesitated at first, but then when I turned around and grinned mischievously at him, he seemed to give in. Not that I thought he wouldn't.

When I reached the bed, I lay down in it and tried to do a sexy pose. But I don't really do sexy too well. I just . . . haven't had much experience with men. Although, by the look on Jesse's face - and the big bulge in his pants - I could tell I had done well.

I patted the spot beside me for him to come and join me. He did so, very eagerly might I add, and we started undressing each other.

And, well, you can guess what happens next.

**- § -**

My head was on Jesse's (naked) chest. We were both breathing pretty raggedly. I mean, I guess that's what amazing sex does to you.

We were both just laying there - naked - with the sheet draped over us.

And who should show up right then?

Why it would be none other than Mr. Harrison Matthews, officially the most annoying ghost I have ever encountered - well, other than Heather Chambers.

After he materialized, I heard him give a frustrated sigh.

"Can I help you?" I asked, trying not to let the anger seep into my voice.

He looked at me. "Yes, actually. And why is it that I can never catch you two _with_ clothes on?"

Sarcastically, I said, "Uh - maybe it's because we're on our _honeymoon_? You know, that thing people go on after they get married to be _alone_?"

He dismissed that comment with a wave of his hand. I was about to tell him where he could shove his hand, but Jesse put his hand on my arm and whispered, "_Querida_." Well, that was enough for me to melt into a puddle of goo right then and there.

"What can we help you with, Mr. Matthews?" Jesse asked politely.

"Well, first," he said, looking me up and down, which caused me to shudder, "you two can get dressed. Second, I have some information on my . . . murder." Then he dematerialized, leaving me aggravated. I mean, we were on our _honeymoon_. Can't we have _some_ privacy?

I looked at Jesse. He looked a little mad, but intrigued at the information - that Harry had news on his murder. I was just plain angry. "Jesse," I whined, "can't we just ignore him? Please? I mean, we finally get away from civilization to be _alone_ and we can't even do that. Be alone, I mean. God, I officially hate ghosts. Can't they go bother some other Mediator and leave us alone—?"

"Susannah, just get dressed," Jesse cut in. He looked a little peeved - at me. What? What did I do? Just because I wanted to be alone on my honeymoon, I get Jesse mad at me? What is wrong with this world?

"Fine," I grumbled. Then I grabbed the sheet, yanking it off the bed, and put it around me. I grabbed some pajamas from the dresser and went into the bathroom. I didn't want to give Jesse the satisfaction of seeing me naked again. He'll just have to wait until I'm not highly pissed off anymore - which might not be for a while.

After I came out of the bathroom, I flopped down on the bed, ignoring Jesse entirely. Jesse was over next to _Harry_ talking to him about his murder, I presume. I honestly could care less, now. That Harrison guy has caused enough trouble as it is.

I just stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the ghost to leave. After he did, well, just expect an atomic explosion.

"Susannah," Jesse said, stirring me from my musings. But, of course, I just ignored him. I wanted to get him angry first. He's so cute when he's angry—

GOD, Suze, you're supposed to be MAD at him, remember?

"Susannah, please," he said, trying to take my hand. I pulled my hand out of his grasp and just kept staring at the ceiling.

"_Querida_," Jesse said, using his silky smooth voice and letting his adorable accent seep in. He just HAD to use that word. He knows what that does to me.

Just . . . whatever you do, Suze, DO NOT RELENT!

That was when Jesse hoisted himself over me so I could stare at the ceiling no longer. All I saw was his face. Which, actually, is better than looking at the ceiling.

SUZE, my GOD, you're not supposed to give in!

"_Querida_, I'm sorry," he said softly. "Once we solve his murder we'll be alone." I still was ignoring him. "Susannah, what is wrong?"

That's when I snapped. I mean, the NERVE to go and ASK WHAT'S WRONG WHEN HE KNOWS PERFECTLY WELL WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG!

Calm down, Suze. Deep breaths. In . . . out . . . in . . . out . . .

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to let the anger seep into my voice, but to no avail. "You wanna know what's wrong? Well, let's see, Jesse. First of all, we're on our honeymoon and shouldn't have to deal with these DAMN GHOSTS! Second of all, you always seem more interested in these ghosts when they are murdered or something than you seem interested in ME, your WIFE. Third, you're crushing me." After the last part, he moved so he was sitting next to me.

He wasn't really. Crushing me, I mean. I was just saying that because I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I'm sorry, _querida_," he said. "I really am. As I said before, once we mediate him, we'll have the rest of the honeymoon to ourselves, even if another ghost visits. I promise I'll ignore them. Just don't be mad at me, _querida_. I can't live with you being angry with me."

Then he was about to kiss me, but I rolled over, turned the light out, and said, "Goodnight, Jesse."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Meg Cabot owns all of the characters you recognize. For everything else, there's Mastercard. 


	6. Naughty Boy

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

The next morning I awoke before Jesse, which I always thought was virtually impossible. Well, until now.

I put on some sneakers and shorts and an old camisole and went jogging. I wrote a note to Jesse saying I'd be back later. He didn't have to know where I was, but just had to know that I went out.

Yes, I was still pissed at him.

Oh, you might think that I was being immature. Sure, I probably was. But it just really ticks me off that he always chooses them over ME. It's like, since I was never a ghost, I am not good enough for him. I don't _understand_, I guess.

Whatever.

When I got outside, I immediately thanked the gods that it wasn't humid. If it was, I'd be drenched with sweat when I got back. If I was ever going back, that is.

Okay, yes, that was immature. I would go back. I love Jesse, but he can just be a little . . . aggravating sometimes. Especially for someone like me that has a short temper.

I passed by a few little tourist attractions. They weren't that interesting though. Still, though, I went into a few of them. The one was a book store, actually.

Yes, I know. Suze Simon in a book store? Don't see that everyday.

Well, shut up. I was just buying time.

And apparently I was buying a book also.

I SAID SHUT UP!

I just bought a book, okay? A stupid book on pyramids and their old myths.

Yes, I was pissed off at Jesse for always taking the ghost's side, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't help him out with it all.

When I got back, Jesse was hounding me.

"Why didn't you say where you were going?" he yelled.

"Stop yelling, Jesse," I replied calmly. "And you don't need to know where I am every minute of the day. I _am _22 and independent."

(A/N: I changed her age. She was originally 18, but I figured she should be a little older if they're older and doing the dirty and stuff, you know? So, yeah, she is offically 22 now and can drink. Sorry for the confusion.)

His face immediately softened. "Susannah, I was just worried," he said, taking hold of my hand.

I snatched my hand away from him. "Right. Well, I guess you have a certain ghost to worry about too, right?" I sneered.

He sighed. "Susannah, please understand. I just . . . I'm inquisitive, I guess. I don't think this was an ordinary murder, _querida,_ and I want to get to the bottom of it." Then he seemed to notice the bag I had in my hand. "What is that, Susannah?" he asked curiously.

I took the book from the bag and plopped it on the counter. "Thought it would interest you," I replied aloofly.

He grinned. "I love it. Not as much as I love you, though," he said, and, get this, tried to kiss me.

Hmph.

He thinks he can kiss me after all that.

I mean, I don't mind his kisses. Not one bit. But this is a time that I should resist them. You know, get my point across.

I'd forgive him in due time.

When he was really annoyed that I was still pissed with him.

Then I 'd kiss him and he'd be thrilled and we'd have wonderful sex.

Yep, I have it all planned out.

. . . hehe . . .

I'm horrible. I'm sorry.

But anyway, right when he was about to kiss me I walked away. To say he was shocked would be a big understatement.

Biiiiiiiig.

Just like something else of Jesse—

Sorry. That you didn't need to know. But _I_ know it.

. . . teehee . . .

So anyway, I went into the bathroom to take a shower, since I was kind of . . . icky. Why Jesse wanted to kiss while I was like this is a mystery to me.

I took a quick shower. I wrapped the towel around me when I got out and went into the bedroom to get changed.

"Hold on, Mrs. Ackerman, here she is," I heard Jesse say as I walked out of the bathroom.

I looked at him questioningly. "It's your mother," he said.

I gave him a smirk. "I gathered that." Then I snatched the phone from his hand and held it to my ear, while sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Mom?"

"Suzie? Oh, honey, it's so great to hear from you! How is the honeymoon going? And how is - uh . . . Jesse . . . ?" she asked enthusiastically.

I laughed. I could tell what she meant by the last question. "Great, Mom. Everything is perfect. Jesse's good too, aren't you, Jesse?" I said, glancing sideways at him. I laughed at the expression he gave me.

"That's great, sweetie. And especially that Jesse . . ." she said. And I could've sworn, and maybe I'm wrong about this, that she growled.

Um . . . okay.

"Mom . . ."

"Oh, sorry," she said. "Um . . . well, the reason that I called is because - well . . . there has been some complications here, Suzie," she said.

What's with the cryptic messages?

"Complications?" I echoed. Then I remembered her baby. Oh . . . shit. Nothing's wrong with the baby, is there?

"Honey, I've been in the hospital for the past few days," she informed me.

That was when I thought the worst.

Oh, no, she lost the baby. No, no, no, no, no, NO, NO! She can't have lost the baby. It's just not possible. Not my little brother or sister.

When I remained silent, she said, "Honey, I thought something was wrong. But, Suzie . . . I'm having TWINS!" she cried, joyful.

Oh, my God.

"Really?" I squealed, my sorrow soon turning to ecstatic happiness.

"YES!" she yelled back.

"Mom, that is so awesome!" I gushed.

Seriously, just the thought of having one little baby brother or sister made me excited. But two? Well, I was ecstatic.

"I know, honey," she said. "The babies are due in two months, tops. So if you and Jesse wanna stay for a little while longer . . ."

I laughed. "Thanks, Mom, but I think we're good. I'll talk to him about it though."

"Okay. Well, I just wanted to tell you. I can't wait til you get back sweetie."

"Me neither, Mom. I love you," I said.

"Love you too, Suze," she said and hung up.

Jesse looked at me expectantly. When I didn't say anything, he said, "Well? What did she say that you were so excited about?"

"Oh. She's having twins," I replied nonchalantly, like I didn't really care. I knew that would annoy him. Back to my plan . . .

"Twins? Wow, that's great! Does she know the sexes yet?" he asked inquisitively.

"Nada," I said, using the little bit of Spanish I knew.

"Oh." Then he came up behind me while I was searching for some clothes to wear. Remember, I was still in a bath towel. "Susannah, please listen to me. I'm sorry about all of this. Can't we just forget that it happened?"

I turned around and practically pressed my boobs to his chest. "No," I replied shortly and walked over to the bed.

Then I proceeded to dress right in front of him.

I changed into a set of red lacy undergarments, a denim mini skirt, and a red tank top with a lacy fringe.

And Jesse just stood there the whole time, staring at me. Sure, it was a little unnerving, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Su-Susannah?" he finally said.

I turned around. "Hmm?"

"I - I think I'm going to take a shower," he said. Then he mumbled, "A very cold shower."

I laughed to myself and let him go.

Well, at least I know what my body can do to him.

I'm so evil.

I noticed he closed the door but didn't lock it. Hehe, this is my chance.

So, I stripped myself of the clothes that I had just put on. Then I waited until I heard the shower go on. After I was pretty sure Jesse was in the shower, I carefully opened the door, making sure I didn't alert him.

And then I snuck in the shower behind him.

I watched him for a few minutes, because he still hadn't noticed me.

Um . . . hello?

When he still hadn't turned around, I carefully put my hands around him from behind.

I think I scared the hell out of him. I mean, if the way he jumped was any indication.

He turned around. "Susannah? What - what are you doing in here?" Then he looked down at me and said. "Naked?"

I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. When I pulled away, I said, "What do you think I'm doing here, Jesse?"

He grinned. "I thought you were still angry with me?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I am. But that's not going to get in the way of my hormones."

He laughed. "Hmm . . . you are amazing." And he pulled me closer. That's when I noticed that he was still - um . . . engorged.

"Jesse," I laughed.

"Hmm?" he said, before leaning down and kissing me.

"You - um . . . let's go somewhere . . . dry," I said.

And that's when he said something that shocked me. It wasn't really bad or anything. I just never expected he's say something like that.

"Even if we did, it wouldn't be dry for long . . ." he said.

Um . . . ewww. That was kind of . . . ewww. Even if it was Jesse saying it.

"Jesse!" I said, shocked.

"What?" he asked innocently. "We're wet and the sheets would get wet from us being wet."

"Right," I said, leaning in to him.

Then he scooped me up and we went back into the bedroom to do . . . stuff.

- § -

So much for going out today.

Jesse had a whole other pyramid-exploration thing planned for us today. And . . . well, we kind of got distracted, if you know what I mean.

I lay on Jesse's chest with his fingers dipping low on my back. I squirmed a little because it tickled. He just chuckled and kissed my hair.

I twisted myself so I was facing him, my breasts leaning against his chest. He smiled at me and continued to tease my skin. When I stayed like that, he asked, "I thought you were still mad at me?"

I smirked. "I was. After that, though . . . I don't think he I could be . . ." I smiled innocently and lay back down on him, my breasts still leaning on him. I kind of wanted him to, you know, _feel_ that I was still here.

Right.

He chuckled and started playing with my hair with his hand, his other one still tickling the small of my back. "Hmm . . ." he said. "Are we going to lay here all day? Or go out?"

"Hmm . . ." I said, pretending to ponder. I twisted myself around again and stared at him. "Well, we _could_ go out. But do you really want to get off this oh-so-comfortable bed? Plus, we could still do . . . other things . . ." I suggested.

He chuckled again. "You're right. Getting off this bed right now would be a sin."

I grinned. "I'm rubbing off on you," I stated.

He smirked mischievously. "I should hope so," he said.

Judging by the way he said it, I don't think he meant it innocently.

It kinda shocked me, but I guess I was used to being shocked on this trip, so I just kissed him. "I love you," I whispered against his lips.

"I love you, too, _querida_."

* * *

_**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Bow down to Meg, not me._


	7. Freaky Shit

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

Okay, we're going out today. As much as I enjoyed yesterday, we really should go out today. We came here for adventure and fun. I had my fun and adventure _inside _yesterday. Now I need to have my fun and adventure today _outside_, if you catch my drift.

So after my shower that morning, I threw on a bikini, a pair of boardshorts, a cami, and some flip flops.

Hey, it gets pretty hot in Egypt. And then I figured when we get back, we could go for a swim in the hotel pool, since we haven't quite done that yet.

Sure, we've been here for a total of five days, but we haven't been doing so much outside the bedroom.

But, hey, cut us some slack. It's our honeymoon. Really, what did you expect for a honeymoon? Chastity? Yeah . . . no. I don't think so.

And after a few rounds last night, Jesse and I decided we wouldn't use our telekinetic powers in public. Unless it was an emergency. I mean, I tend to freak out when he does it because I so do not expect it. So we'll just use it when we're together . . . alone . . . and don't feel like doing much talking . . . hehe.

I was majorly bored waiting for Jesse to come back from getting breakfast. I put the clothes that were still in my suitcase in the dresser in the bedroom. Then I took all of our dirty clothes and put them in a garbage bag to bring to the Laundromat down the road.

But . . . that only took me, like, five minutes.

Then I remembered the book I bought the day before when I was still angry with Jesse.

So I got up and walked over to where it sat untouched, still in the bag, on the kitchen counter. I grabbed it out of the bag and went to sit back down on the loveseat in the bedroom area.

I opened the book to the cover page.

Ancient Egyptian Enigmas and Myths

By Harrison Matthews

Holy shit.

My eyes bugged out when I read that. Okay, I didn't even realize that I bought a book by our recent ghost. Then maybe he knows about what's happening.

Those screams we heard the other day in the Red Pyramid . . . maybe he knows about that. Maybe . . . maybe he reacted the way he did because it was in his book and—

Okay, Simon, don't get ahead of yourself.

This is majorly freaky shit, though.

Coincidence? Or something more . . . ?

Okay, now I'm thinking Twilight Zone crap.

Just read the damn book, Simon.

And that's what I did. I flipped to the first page and started reading.

...and after Nefelinuf was killed, she desired revenge. Since _Akhantirfu was nowhere to be found after she murdered Nefelinuf, Nefelinuf vowed that anyone who was related to Akhantirfu would be killed and would hold the same fate that she did. And anyone that got in her way of this elimination would also be killed..._

That paragraph struck me. It meant something. I knew that there was more to this story than what meets the eye.

It's like, my mediator senses were going haywire.

And right after I was finished reading the first chapter, Jesse came back.

He came right up to me and kissed me on the lips. Then he saw the book in my lap and chuckled. "Susannah, are you reading?" he asked with a smirk.

I punched his arm. "Yes, I am, Jesse. And . . . well, what I've got here is really interesting. And by some coincidence, this book is by someone we are currently . . . mediating . . ."

Jesse practically grabbed the book out of my hands. "Susannah . . . did you buy this on purpose?"

"Well, duh, I bought it on purpose. How do you buy something on accide—?"

"No. I mean, did you know who the author was? Susannah, I think we are on the verge of a large mystery . . ." he trailed off and looked at me. There was something in his face. Excitement?

Well, yeah, I guess. Only Jesse would find excitement in solving an ancient Egyptian mystery.

Well, besides Scooby-Doo and his pals at Mystery Inc.

Jesse and I quickly ate our breakfasts and skedaddled out of the hotel so we could go where we were supposed to go today, which was . . . I have no clue.

"Jesse," I said, as he was driving toward wherever we were going.

He looked at me and smiled, then turned his head back forward. "Hmm?"

"Um . . . where are we going?"

He chuckled. "I forgot to tell you?" he asked. He shook his head, replying, "We're going back to the Red Pyramid, Susannah. I am pretty sure that's where Mr. Matthews was murdered, even if he wouldn't tell me. He seemed pretty . . . what do you call it? - oh, yes - weirded out whilst we were in there. And those screams . . ."

He didn't have to say anymore. I knew. There was some pretty freaky shit there.

I really didn't want to go in there again, but if Jesse would be there beside me, I guess it would be okay.

But I just . . . had a really bad feeling about it.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Mediator characters all belong to Meg Cabot. She is the genius, not me. 


	8. Deal

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

We got to the pyramid less than ten minutes later. We bought two tickets and went along with the rest of the crowd. Well, until we ended up where we were before. Then we snuck past that part and started to explore some more.

Then _he_ popped in.

"What are you two doing back here?" he asked incredulously.

I looked at him from where I was, which happened to be near a book shelf. Yeah, I know, shocking, isn't it?

"Trying to solve your murder," I replied and went back to looking at the books. Of course all of the books were in hieroglyphics. Figures.

Then he yelled at me. "You - you can't be here!" he screamed.

I looked back at him, startled. "What - why?"

"She's coming tonight," he said ominously. "Tonight is when she is in her purest form. Mediators and shifters may be the only ones who can see ghosts, but tonight she can harm everyone."

Jesse came over at that point. This intrigued him, I could tell. But, well, it freaked me out. I wanted to get out of there, pronto.

"How is this possible?" Jesse asked.

He sighed. "Nevermind that. I told you that you have to leave. Now, before she can get you. Leave!"

"Jesse— "

"But how?" Jesse persisted. He had that look on his face. The one that said, 'I'm not going anywhere, until you tell me'.

"She - you read that section in the book I wrote, correct?" he said. Jesse and I nodded. "Well, you know who I am talking about then. Nefelinuf. She was killed by Akhantirfu. Nefelinif vowed to kill anyone related to Akhantirfu and anyone who got in her way of doing so."

"Yes, but that doesn't answer how she can be seen my non-mediators," I pointed out.

He ignored me. "You," he said, pointing to me, "are related to the murderer. She is out to get you. If you do not leave at once, she will get you."

I was shocked beyond words. "I - I'm related to h-her?"

"Yes, you are. Nefelinuf cannot go outside of Egypt, but she can roam around this country. She'll kill you, Susannah, if she gets her hands on you. You cannot give her that chance."

I was touched that he actually was informing us of this.

But at the time all I could think was, "Oh, shit, I'm gonna die!"

"You have to leave this country at once."

I looked at Jesse. He was staring at me. "Oh, _querida_," he said. "We're leaving, Susannah." He put his arm around my shoulders and attempted to drag me out of the pyramid.

But something stopped me. I couldn't leave.

"Jesse, no," I said. "We - we have to stop her. Other people related to her could die too. It's not just me and you know that."

He shook his head. "No, Susannah, I cannot put you in that sort of danger."

But it was too late. I had all ready put myself in danger.

I maniacal cackle boomed throughout the pyramid at that moment.

I knew then that I had to face her. I had to face my fears, whether it means I have to die or not. I just _had_ to. It was not for my pride or anything, but for . . . courage. I had to do this so no one else would be hurt.

Jesse was looking at me with almost . . . fear? No, no, he could not be afraid. He . . . no. It isn't possible.

He grabbed my arm. "Susannah, we have to leave, now!" he yelled.

He _was_ scared. I could hear it in his voice. He was scared for _me_.

Well, that just makes this situation a lot more shitty.

But something just made me stop. I stood my ground and turned around, toward the direction of the laughter. She was coming for me and by God, I would be ready for her.

"Susannah, we have to leave!" Jesse yelled again. He was desperate to get me out of there. I didn't blame him. It was rather ominous in there. But I knew I had to do this, no matter what the consequences were.

Have you ever had that moment in your life when you don't know what your reason for living is? You know that there is one. It's not just to fall in love and have kids and live a prosperous life. It's to do something important in history.

And that was that time for me. I was going to make a difference. Protect the lives of innocent people.

Time to put this bitch to rest.

A louder cackle sounded to my left. She was closer. She was coming for me.

"Leave, Jesse!" I yelled at him.

He didn't move.

"I'm not leaving without you, Susannah!" he yelled back.

The pyramid started to shake. She was doing that.

"You have to! I have to do this on my own!" He still didn't move. I couldn't let him get hurt because of me. "LEAVE!" I yelled so hard that my voice cracked.

He looked at me with this weird expression on his face. Like for once in his life he couldn't figure me out.

I didn't have time for this. "Jesse, please, just leave!"

But he didn't. We were so much alike that we were willing to put ourselves in danger for each other and others.

But we were also completely the opposite. I was impulsive, Jesse was . . . not. He thought before he did things, I _so_ did not.

An ear-splitting screech broke out through the pyramid. I clasped my hands to my ears to protect them as much as I could from the sound. It was horrifying.

I saw that Jesse was too. But he wasn't doing what I wanted him to do. He wouldn't _leave_.

One more try. "Please, Jesse!"

"I'm not leaving you here to get hurt, _querida_. If you think that, you are sadly mistaken."

Any other time, I would have melted from that. But that time, I didn't. It really pissed me off that he wouldn't just get the hell out of there and leave me to do what was necessary.

He came over to me to try and get me out of there one more time. But I resisted yet again.

And that's when she came. She appeared right behind us. Normally I can sense a ghost, but I couldn't sense her at all. That's why it surprised - no, _scared_ - me so much when she tapped me on the shoulder.

I spun around and screamed my head off. Jesse just looked at me. I think I scared him more than the ghost did. Huh, kind of ironic, eh?

The ghost looked amused. She had a petty little smirk evident on her soft features. I must say though, she _was_ rather pretty. She probably got a lot of guys back in the Egyptian times. But that's not the point.

"So," she said, circling around Jesse and me. "You are the infamous Susannah. I have to admit, I thought you'd be a little more . . . stunning."

I narrowed my eyes at her and Jesse tensed up. She just laughed at us.

I wasn't scared anymore.

I looked at Harrison, but he was just frozen there. Did she do that?

She came over to Jesse and put a pointy finger under his chin. "And you must Hector - or Jesse as she calls you." She took that finger and dragged it down his cheek.

He shuddered and tensed up even more. Thank God not in the place that was reserved for me, if you catch my drift.

"What is a _man_ like you doing with a . . . girl like her?" she asked Jesse, moving closer to him.

That's when I got mad. I pulled her away from Jesse and punched her right in the face.

It didn't seem to affect her though - physically, I mean. She was pretty pissed though.

She took her pointer finger and wagged it in front of my face. "Uh-uh. You shouldn't have done that."

Oh, believe me, I knew that after I did that.

"This is between you and me," I said. "Jesse has nothing to do with it."

She smirked again. "Oh, but you are right, Susannah. He has nothing to do with it." Then she snapped her fingers and Jesse was gone.

My eyes widened. "What did you do!" I shrieked.

Her smirk turned wry. "Do not worry. He's fine . . . for the time being anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean!"

I admit, I was frantic. She just made my husband disappear right in front of my very eyes! And its not like Jesse was a ghost anymore.

She cackled again. "I'll make a deal with you, Susannah. If you can defeat me, then I will let you and your dearest Hector go. If you lose, however . . . he becomes mine." And she laughed again.

"What!"

I couldn't believe my ears. Was this really happening?

"You heard me correctly. Now decide."

She snapped her fingers and a chair appeared out of nowhere. She took a seat in it and crossed her legs gracefully.

I stood in front of her, not nearly as graceful as she was. I felt inferior to her because she was gorgeous, because she had the power that I wish I had.

But I wasn't inferior. She was the one that was dead; and I was not.

I had shifting powers. I could use them to help me win. I could use what Paul had taught me. Granted, it wasn't much, since the time he kissed me in his bedroom was the last time I had gone to shifting lessons. But still.

But first I had to know something. "What if I don't agree?"

Her eyes darkened. "Then I will kill you and Hector still becomes mine."

Okay, my mind had been made up.

"Deal," I said. "I'll do it."

She smiled. "Excellent."

I was thrown against the far wall by an unseen force.

"No fair!" I cried. "You didn't even say when to start!"

"You must realize, Susannah," she said, "that I do not play fair."

My eyes narrowed. "Then let the games begin," I growled.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Bow down to Meg, not me


	9. WTF!

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

She got up from her chair and strode over to me. "I still cannot fathom why he is with you," she drawled, while circling me. There was a smirk evident on her face.

That angered me. I mean, who was she to say that I didn't deserve Jesse? I always thought that, but Jesse proved to me that I did deserve him and vice versa. This bitch was just trying to get on my nerves. "Now I know why she killed you," I said.

She looked a little taken aback. But she regained her composure almost immediately. She laughed easily. "And why do you think she killed me?" she questioned, her voice laced in slight humor.

There was only one way to put it. "Because you're a ruthless bitch who cares for nobody but herself," I spat. Not literally, of course.

She laughed again. "Hit the nail right on the head. But," she said, "you forgot one thing."

Before I could even comprehend what she just said, I was slammed against the opposite wall. "I aim to kill," she said darkly. I crumpled to the floor, my back aching. But I stood up and kept going.

I wondered briefly where Jesse was and if there was any chance he could break out and come help me. But knowing the bitch that stood right in front of me, he probably could not escape from where he was.

Was there another way to approach this? A way in which I did not get hurt even more? Probably not, but its worth a try. "What is it that you really want?" I asked, wincing from the pain in my back.

"Oh, if only you knew..." she trailed off. She stopped and looked at me pityingly.

I tried to reason with her. "I mean," I said, "why do you want to kill me, anyway? I don't know you and you don't know me. And, just by happenstance, I'm related to your murderer, in some way or another. But it wasn't_ me_ that did anything."

She tapped her forefinger against her chin. "Well, you do have a point..." Then she jerked her head back to me. "But, I'm still going to kill you."

She waved her hand to make me fly back against the wall again. But it didn't work. Because I stopped her.

How, you ask?

With my shifting powers. I actually got some of it down over the years. Granted, it was not much, but I could at least stop her from killing me - for a little while, at least. The key was mind control. She was doing all of it with her mind.

See? I _was_ paying attention during shifting lessons with Paul. He taught me some things. Um, besides the thing that involved our tongues.

She looked at me, flabbergasted. "H-how did you d-do that?" she stammered out. She was clearly not used to someone who dared defy her.

I grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I said nonchalantly. Which would actually be a first. I do not do nonchalance well.

She just stared at me, wide-eyed. "What _are_ you?" she asked incredulously.

I thought a moment, about what to say. I shouldn't say I'm a shifter. Surely she knows what that is. "The Mediator," I settled for saying.

She seemed to recover from the whole thing. She narrowed her eyes at me. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take it up a notch then, huh?"

The bookcase - the one that I was looking in that first day Jesse and I came into this pyramid - was suddenly flung across the room right towards me.

I ducked and it went slamming into the wall behind me. That would have seriously done some damage if it hit me.

"You're fighting fire with fire," I said.

She scowled. "Your right. Fire sounds good."

And the bookcase behind me promptly burst into flames. The flames were inching closer and closer to me. But...shouldn't the sand prevent it from traveling?

"You forgot," she said, reading my mind, "that I can defy the laws of physics. If I want the fire to grow, the fire grows."

Okay, I definitely didn't know what I was dealing with here. What _was_ she? She was no ordinary ghost. An ordinary ghost could _not_ defy the laws of physics.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Are you scared, Susannah?" she asked haughtily. Her lips twisted up to form an evil grin.

I grimaced. "No." Then, the fire still burning fiercely behind me, I made the chair that she had made appear fly in the direction of her head. And she didn't see it coming.

It hit her square in the back of the head. And, since she wasn't expecting it, her defense was down and it actually affected her. Somewhat.

After she recovered, which took, like, a split second, she whipped back around and glared at me, a fire in her eyes. She was beyond pissed now.

"You're going to regret that," she growled and started approaching me. The only thing I could do was back up - right into the flame. I felt my back getting hotter and realized, before it was too late, that the fire was still roaring behind me.

I walked away from the fire and started going towards the left wall. She kept approaching me menacingly.

I wonder...would I be able to exorcize her? She was still a ghost, after all. But...I would need a major distraction to do that. And I don't have any chicken blood. Or any candles. Or a picture of her. Or the incantation.

Okay, so I wouldn't be able to exorcize her. So how the hell was I going to get rid of her?

Even if I did, how would I get Jesse? Would she let him go afterwards? Or would he automatically be released, because she had been defeated?

Ugh. How do I get in these kinds of situations, anyway? Do I have a big sign above my head that says, "Kill me!"?

"Susannah, Susannah," she tusked. "Why don't you make this easier on both of us and just give your dearest Hector up? Then we can both go our separate ways."

I glared fiercely at her. "And why would I do that? So you can have the satisfaction of winning and get the man I love? I don't think so."

She grinned and shook her head in disapproval. "Ah, love. Yes, I remember that thing." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "You know, there was another reason that Akhantirfu murdered me."

I cocked an eyebrow - something I picked up from being with Jesse. "Oh? And what was that?"

"I was having an affair with her beloved. Then she - what do you call it? - oh yes - flipped out and murdered me. I can't help it if I was more beautiful and more appealing to her man. She should have learned to keep him on a leash." She laughed. "And to think, we were - what do you people call it now? - oh, yes - best friends. Some friend she was."

I tried to absorb this information.

She was cheating with her best friend's boyfriend? How _horrible_ is that?

"Pretty horrid," she commented. "But, its all in the past, dear. And, soon enough, Hector will be mine. All in due time, too."

Then she lunged at me. I guess she figured both of us using shifting/ghost powers was not too much of a match. So she went for hardcore, old-fashioned, rumbling. Fun for me. Not.

Luckily, though, I had brushed up on my ghost-ass-kicking skills recently. But, to tell you the truth, she was quite a match for me. She had quite the right hook for a Miss Priss.

She took me by surprise. I fell to the ground, with her on top of me, having quite the advantage.

She threw a punch at my face, but I moved my head just in time and her fist hit the hard floor. She cringed at the pain, but, her being a ghost and all, the pain quickly ebbed away. But, for me, the pain would stay for at least a few minutes. That blows.

I tried to push her off me but she pinned my one arm to ground and tried to punch me again. But, again, I moved my head and her fist, once again, collided with the floor. You would think she would have learned by now.

Pfft. Ghosts.

Then I employed a move that I had learned in a self-defense course my mom made me take when I was thirteen - she didn't know why I was always being taken home by the police and she figured maybe it had to do with gangs or whatever and she wanted me to know how to defend myself - it came in handy.

I brought my knees up and, since she was laying mostly on my upper body, I brought them under her and pushed them upward so that she fell off of me with her back to the ground. I rolled on top of her and threw a punch at her face. Luckily, she was not as quick as me and my punch hit her square in the face.

She groaned in pain and brought her hand to her face. I took that opportunity to punch her again and again.

But, me being the stupid and forgetful person I am, I forgot that she still had control of her powers. She took a random object in the room and made it fly, at full force, at my head. It nearly knocked me out.

But, even if I was not still in the game, I could still end it.

She came back on top of me again and aimed a punch at my face. She hit me - good. The last blow from whatever the object was weakened my agility and reaction time. There was only one thing left that I could do.

Shift.

I closed my eyes and imagined the eery hall of door. The place the frightened me so much just thinking about it.

I grabbed onto Nefelinuf's arm and shifted. And when I opened my eyes, we were there.

I could think clearly up here, and it felt good. But I knew, if I stayed too long, my headache would be a lot worse than if I stayed for only a little while.

Nefelinuf looked around. "Where the hell is this?" she asked, confused.

"This," I said, "is Shadowland. Enjoy your stay." And then, before she could react, I shifted back.

I remember coming back. But I immediately passed out from the pain I was in. The last thing I remember is a face hovering over mine. And then everything went black.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Meg Cabot owns all the Mediator characters, not moi. Get over it.


	10. Stars

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style**

I heard voices. Low, deep voices. They were talking amongst each other. However, I could not make out what they were saying.

But they were coming closer. They were mumbling, purposely so I couldn't understand.

That was when I opened my eyes. I had to see who the voices belonged to.

When I first opened my eyes, this blinding white light shone in my eyes. I immediately closed them and then tried again.

After a few minutes of trying, my eyes finally adjusted to the light.

Then I glanced toward the back of the room and found the owners of the voices. Jesse and Mr. Matthews.

"Jesse?" I asked. I was confused. Where was I? What was I doing here?

Jesse immediately turned around and rushed over to me. "Susannah? Oh, _gracia Dios_, you're awake," he muttered.

"What am I doing here? And where is here, exactly?" I asked.

"_Querida_, you're in a hospital. You were unconscious when I found you."

"Unconscious from what? What happ—" And then it all came back to me. Everything. When Nefelinuf and I were fighting, me going up to Shadowland to get rid of her . . .

"Susannah?"

I shook my head. But that just served to give me a major migraine. "Are we still in Egypt?"

He nodded. "Yes. I had to get you to a hospital immediately." I noticed Harrison had dematerialized. Whatever.

I nodded. Well, that made sense. He _was_ training to become a doctor. And he'd make a damn good one too. "How long am I in here for?"

A tiny smile tugged at his lips. "The doctor says you have a concussion, but you should be able to leave in the morning if all is well."

"What time is it, then?" I asked.

He looked down at his watch. The one I gave him for his birthday last year. "Nearly midnight. You should get some rest, _querida_. We have a long flight in a few days."

"Wait, when are we leaving?"

"Sunday. In three days." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Now go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Will you stay here?" I asked.

He smiled. "Of course, _querida_. I would never leave."

I smiled too. "Good," I said and closed my eyes. And, before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

- § -

By ten o'clock the next morning, I was safe and sound in our hotel suite. I was lying in bed with Jesse lying next to me. So, yeah, we were just lying there. Occasionally Jesse would lean kiss my hair or forehead and whisper something to me in Spanish, which drove me nuts.

But otherwise we were just lying there, taking in each other's company. Which, you know, was not all that bad. I would have preferred to do something else . . . but Jesse said that we should wait until later when I had gotten enough sleep.

But Jesse seemed to be contradicting himself a little bit, if him suddenly kissing me and running his hands over my chest was any indication.

But, you know, I didn't mind. Not one bit.

And it _is_ our honeymoon, after all. God, we should be doing it everyday.

If we went to, say, the Bahamas, I don't think Jesse would have been as fascinated and we would have spent more time in the bedroom.

Le sigh...oh well.

Jesse was leaning over me, his forehead resting on mine. He was breathing pretty raggedly, as was I.

And then he went back to kissing me. And, I, of course, kissed him back. I would have been out of my mind not to.

And one thing led to another and . . . well, I think you get the idea.

- § -

Jesse and I were sitting on the balcony outside our suite later that night, a little while after . . . you know. He had his arm around my waist and my head was settled on his shoulder. We had a huge blanket wrapped around both of us.

We were just looking at the stars. They were brighter here. A lot brighter. Jesse pointed out a lot of the constellations to me. He draw them out on the sky with his finger and I would watch, amazed, because I could actually see them.

When I was younger and still lived in Brooklyn, I could almost never see the stars. I would be lucky if I could see one at night. And, when I moved to Carmel, I was amazed to see that I could actually see the stars at night.

But this . . . it was way better than back in Carmel. It was so clear, so crisp. It was unbelievable.

I remembered briefly about going into a planetarium when I was in middle school. I remembered some of the constellations that Jesse was telling me about, but I never really _saw_ them, you know?

It was just amazing.

And it was even more amazing when Jesse leaned over and kissed me and whispered, "You're amazing," in my ear.

I giggled. Yes, giggled. Shock of the century. "I'm going to miss being here," I whispered, more to myself than him.

But he responded anyway. "Me too," he said.

I smiled to myself. "As crazy as this trip has been, this is what I'm going to remember the most."

Jesse chuckled. "Yes. But, you know, we could always do this back in Carmel."

I sighed happily. "I know. But its clearer here."

"Hmm," he said.

And we sat like that for a while longer. I really didn't keep track of time.

But then Harrison popped in.

You know, he was in the back of my mind. I wondered what had happened to him. If he had moved on or not, or if he was stuck frozen like that forever.

Guess not the latter.

He smiled at us. And, for once, I actually smiled back at this guy.

"I wanted to say thank you," he said. "You helped me a great deal. I wish you two the best of luck in the future."

Jesse looked at me and I grinned back. And, just as he had appeared, he disappeared with a flash of blinding white light.

He had moved on.

And I felt happy. Happy that I had helped someone. Helped a LOT of people, actually, considering I just sent a relentless, unforgiving bitch up to Shadowland. You must know that I usually do not resort to that, but it just had to be done.

Jesse's armed pulled me against him tighter, if that was possible. I snuggled into him more and sighed happily again and just relaxed in his arms.

"You were right," I suddenly said.

"About what, _querida_?" he asked.

"That it was a big mystery. I should have respected your curiosity. I'm sorry about the other day and making you mad . . ."

He leaned down and kissed my hair. "You shouldn't be sorry. You were right, too. This _is_ our honeymoon and we should have been able to enjoy it." When I didn't say anything, he said, "I know its not really what you had expected, _querida_, but this really was an enjoyable trip."

"I agree," I replied and leaned up and kissed him. He responded to it willingly. His other arm came around my waist as well and he gripped me into him.

Once again, I sighed happily. I broke the kiss and whispered, "I love you," and then crashed my lips back on his again.

* * *

Disclaimer: Meg Cabot owns the Mediator characters and series. I just own the plot and Harry and the evil Egyptian princess. Oh, and the camels. 


	11. Slightly Buzzed

**The Mediator: Egyptian Style **

The plane ride home was peaceful. To tell you the truth, I slept most of the time. Our flight was throughout the night, so it fit perfectly.

Jesse tried sleeping, but I knew plane rides made him uncomfortable, so he just read most of the time.

When we got to our apartment after the flight, I was astonished by what we came across.

A Welcome Home party.

Wow. I mean, just...wow. I never thought that would happen.

But it did, apparently.

As soon as we walked through the door, everyone popped out and surprised us. Well, more me, but whatever.

But anyway, the party was going great. Jesse and I were still a little tired from the flight, but when we got sight of some coffee on the counter, we went for that and enjoyed the party.

I guess Jesse had planned this beforehand, because he didn't seem one bit surprised. It kind of irked me a little, but I let it go. It was a nice thing, a surprise party, and I wasn't going to ruin it.

Everyone was there. Andy and my mom, in all her very-pregant glory, David and Shannon, CeeCee and Adam, some new friends I'd made over the years, Gina and Jake, and Brad and...well, nobody. And then, not too long after the party had started, someone else arrived.

Take a guess?

Haha, that's right.

Paul.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't all that surprised to see him. He was sort of a friend to us now. Maybe not so much to Jesse, but he could at least bare being in the same room with him without having the urge to cause him bodily harm.

Well, at least now that he knows I would never choose Paul over him.

But anyway, Paul came through the apartment door, his new girlfriend hanging off his arm, and said, "Surprise!"

And, okay, I laughed. "You're a little late, Paul," I said, coming over to him and giving him a hug.

"Ah," he said, hugging me back, "but fashionably late."

"Uh huh," I said and shook my head. "Well, its great to see you."

He smiled. "You too." And then he introduced me and Jesse and to his new girlfriend, Sara. She seemed nice enough, and actually possessed quite a few braincells. It was good that Paul actually got a girl who was nearly as smart as him, as opposed to, say, Kelly Prescott.

And it turns out, as Paul ever so swiftly whispered into my ear, she was also a mediator. Huh, small world.

I shook her hand, since I wasn't really big on hugging people I had just met and told her it was a pleasure to meet her.

Everyone was having a great time.

And then, around 5, Andy took my mom home because she wasn't feeling too well. And its not like she could have a few drinks, with her being pregnant and all.

Jesse and I were out in the kitchen, getting a bottle of Smirnoff and a bottle of Bacardi from the cabinet later on, for the guests who still happened to be there.

I was kind of tired, but I wasn't going to pass up a Screwdriver or some Rum and Coke, or even a daiquiri. Oh, my God, Jesse is the king at making daiquiris.

But anyway, Jesse brought out the drinks, while I went back in to get some coke and orange juice. That was when Paul followed me in.

"So," he said, as I bent down to get the beverages from the refrigerator, "how the was honeymoon?"

There were two things he was hinting there and I knew what both of them were. Any ghost encounters and how Jesse was in bed.

"One," I said, retrieving both the orange juice and the bottle of coke from the fridge, "I almost was killed by a resentful Egyptian bitch, and, two: I'm not telling you."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? What the hell did you do now, Simon. Oh, wait, I can't call you that anymore. Damn. But anyway, what did you do?"

So I explained to him what happened. Everything. From Harrison to Nefelinuf. But I left out the parts where Jesse and I had a fight and when we, erm, made up from said fight.

"Wow," he said. "Looks like you two were busy. So...what else did you two do? Stay inside a lot?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That stays between me, Jesse, and the bed we slept in."

"You're no fun, Suze."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't go around asking about your girlfriend's ability, now do I?"

He just shrugged. "Whatever."

I grabbed the beverages and went back into the other room.

After I set the drinks down on the coffee table, Jesse wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. I giggled and turned around and kissed him on his lips. Then I pulled away, realizing we had guests.

Paul was looking at us, his eyebrows raised. He just shook his head at us and went back to talking with his girlfriend.

We didn't want our guests to drink too much, since we kind of wanted tonight to ourselves and all. We didn't want people staying over because they were too intoxicated to drive.

Actually, I sent Brad and Jake on their way, because I knew they'd be drinking a lot and I didn't want to be held responsible if anything happened.

We were all a tiny bit buzzed, but we were talking about marriage and how it was for Jesse and I so far.

"Well," I said, looking at Jesse. "It's been quite blissful so far."

Jesse raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He knew what I was implying.

Adam laughed and CeeCee giggled. Paul just looked disgusted. But I can't really blame him. I know he still had feelings for me and talking about Jesse and I . . . well, I don't think it really was big for him.

But then why was he trying to get me to talk about us on our honeymoon?

He was probably just trying to get a rise out of me.

Soon enough, everyone was leaving and Jesse and I were all alone. I helped him clean up everything from the party.

And while he was cleaning some dishes, I came up behind him and slid my arms around his waist. He turned around, smiled, and leaned down and kissed me tenderly but fervently.

When he pulled away, I reached behind him and shut the running water off. He smiled down at me and scooped me up in his arms and carried me to our bedroom.

He laid me down on the bed and came up over me. I grinned up at him and he just grinned right back down at me.

And, let me just say, if you just get Jesse slightly buzzed, he's all over you. I knew, before it even happened, that it would be . . . excellent.

And, believe me, it was.

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**Disclaimer:** The Mediator characters and series is owned my Meg Cabot, 'cause she's awesome.


	12. Epilogue

****

The Mediator: Egyptian Style

Epilogue

Remember that blissful night after our honeymoon? The one where Jesse and I were slightly buzzed and he was all over me?

Well, it seems that because we were slightly buzzed, we forgot to use protection.

Can you guess what that led to?

Yes, pregnancy.

That's not to say it was _bad_. God, no. I was just saying that we kind of slipped up that night. In more ways than one.

But anyway, nine months later, I was giving birth to a little baby boy named Peter, in honor of my dad.

And, in all actuality, he was not really small. He was a big baby. Nearly ten pounds he was.

Talk about hard to push through your birth canal. Maybe those wide hips do come in handy once in your life.

Or twice. Or even three times.

And maybe even four.

Because that's how many kids I had. Four.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Let's go back to a few weeks after the party. I hadn't known yet that I was pregnant.

And someone else was. My mom.

I got a very rushed phone call from Andy about five weeks after the party. My mom's water broke and he was at the hospital. She wasn't in labor yet, but she was very close to it. He said he could hear her screams from the contractions she was having all the way down the hall, from where he was calling from.

I rushed to the hospital (Jesse was actually working when I got the call, so he was all ready at the hospital). Moments later after I got there, I saw Jake, Brad, and David running through the hospital doors. They all wanted to see the birth of there half-sisters.

Yes, my mom had two girls. I guess it kind of makes up for having three step-sons, huh? Now she has three daughters and three step-sons.

What a handful.

Oh, hey, its like the Brady Bunch. Imagine that. It's a small world.

Jake, Brad, and David stayed in the waiting room until they heard that the twins were born. Jake said something about giving her a little privacy.

But I knew the reason. They didn't really want to see their step-mom in labor.

I shrugged and went into the delivery room. Jesse was helping deliver the baby, since it _was_ kind of where he worked. Andy had my mom's left hand and I had her right.

"Okay, Mom," I said comfortingly, "Jesse said one more push, okay? One more and you're good."

She grunted and then I heard the cry of the second baby. Mom fell back on the bed and was panting heavily. I went up to Jesse and smiled. He smiled back and handed me one of the girls and then handed one to Andy.

We went over to my mom and she took the one out of Andy's hands. I knelt down next to her so the babies were right next to each other.

I grinned. "What're you gonna name them?"

She smiled at me. "How 'bout you name them, Susie?"

I was shocked. I practically choked on my spit. "B-but," I sputtered. "Mom, these are your children. You should name them."

"Yes, but they're your little sisters. I believe you should have some input."

I looked down at the little creature in my arms, wrapped in a soft pink blanket. I thought back to when Jesse was telling me about his family. Most importantly, his sisters.

I glanced at him and he was looking at me expectantly. I grinned at him, then looked back at my mom and said, "Mercedes and Marta."

My mom grinned. "Perfect."

I looked down at the little girl in my hands. I took my hand and put my finger in her tiny hand. "Hello, Mercedes. I'm your big sister."

I glanced at Jesse and he was standing there, looking shocked. I handed Mercedes to Andy and walked up to him.

"Why did you do that?" he asked incredulously.

I just smiled. "I didn't think your family should be forgotten."

Then he just smiled and leaned down to kiss me. I stepped back. "Uh-uh," I said. "Not until you wash your hands and get yourself out of those clothes."

He rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Presumably to wash his hands and change his clothes.

But, to my surprise, he signed out for the day. Coincidentally, his shift was over.

Marta and Mercedes were pronounced healthy and they would be able to be taken home the next day. My mom was ecstatic, by the looks of it. But she said to me that the only thing she needed right then was a nice bubble bath and some aspirin.

I laughed and then told her I would come by the next day to help her get the girls settled in their room. Andy had painted the room yellow, a neutral color, just in case one was a boy or both were boys.

Yep. That was Andy. Always prepared.

Jake, Brad, and David held the twins. They acted like real older brothers would. I even heard Brad say 'aww'. It was very interesting, I tell you.

Jesse and I went back to our place after that and ate lunch. Then we had a little fun.

Ahem.

- § -

About a month after my mom delivered, I was over there helping her with the babies. Changing one of their diapers, to be exact.

Then, all of a sudden, I had to rush to the bathroom. The rush of vomit came up my throat and out of my mouth. Luckily, I had gotten to the toilet in time.

I was in there for a few minutes, making sure it was over with. Then I washed my mouth out with Listerine and washed my face off. Then I went back out to help my mom.

My mom looked at me worriedly. "Are you all right, honey?" she asked, concerned.

I shrugged. "Its been happening a lot lately, actually. I've been puking, like, every morning. It feels like I have a virus, but it only lasts the morning. Its weird. And annoying."

I glanced back at my mom and she had a gleam in her eye. She was smiling. A lot.

Confused, I asked, "What?"

She just grinned. "Honey, what have you and Jesse been up to?"

I blinked. I was confused by her sudden change in topic. And I honestly did not want to share my, erm, love life with my mom. "Uh, stuff, I guess," I replied, stupidly.

She just grinned. "What kind of stuff?"

I looked at her, shocked. Didn't she notice my apparent discomfort in discussing this topic? "The kind of stuff that I don't like discussing with my mother."

Her grin widened, if that was possible. Then she just shook her head, like she couldn't believe that I didn't get what she was getting at. "Honey, I think...I think there's a reason that you're getting sick in the morning. And that reason might have something to do with what you and Jesse have been up to."

I didn't get what she meant at first. I just looked at her for a few moments. Then her meaning registered. And it hit me, full blast. "No, you don't think...no, Mom, I can't be...its impossible..."

"Anything's possible, honey. Now," she said, looking at me, "I think I can take it from here, honey. I'll just get Andy down here to help me." She finished changing Marta's diaper, the one I didn't finish, and said, "Go down to the store and get a pregnancy test, then go home and tell Jesse. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic."

I just blinked. "I know he'll be ecstatic, Mom. I see how he is around Marta and Mercedes. But...do you really think I'm pregnant?"

She just grinned. "There's only one way to find out."

And that's how, not a half hour later, I was emerging from the bathroom, looking down at the pregnancy strip and anticipating on telling Jesse, who was sitting eagerly on the bed in the bedroom, the news.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy about the news. But I was shocked. Really, really shocked.

I looked up at Jesse and said the word that made him jump off the bed and envelope me in a huge hug. "Positive."

He was smothering me. But in a good way.

He pulled away and kissed me. His kiss was so full of passion, so full of love. And only because I was pregnant.

Pregnant with our first child.

That was when it _really_ hit me. I was pregnant with our _first_ child. We would be a family soon. Jesse and I would be starting a family in less than nine months.

It was truly amazing.

Jesse pulled away again and leaned his head against mine. The pregnancy strip I was holding in my hand fell to the floor whilst he was kissing me. "_Querida_," he said in that silky smooth voice of his, "I love you."

I grinned like an idiot. "I love you, too, Jesse," I replied and leaned up and kissed him again.

And, six and a half months later, I gave birth to Peter, Jesse and I's first. He was beautiful in every single way. He was exactly how I imagined my first child. Pure black hair, like Jesse, and emerald green eyes, like me.

I was holding Peter in his little blue blanket. I looked over at Jesse and he just grinned back at me. He leaned over and kissed me, just a little, and said, "I love you."

And, of course, I whispered the same back.

Then, a little over a year later, I was pushing out another one, Dominic, in honor of Father Dominic, of course. He was getting old and it made him happy to see that he had such an impact in our lives to name our son after him.

Two years after that, I was giving birth to twins. Hannah and Sarah. Jesse's little girls.

All of them were beautiful. Each of them had their own unique beauty that I knew would take them far in life.

It was what I had always wanted. I was a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend. I was all those and I was happy.

And, well, to be clichéd, Jesse and I lived happily ever after. And, with our kids in tow, we even visited Egypt a few times. You know, just to see if there were any other mysteries to solve.

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**Disclaimer: **Yet again, the Mediator series belongs to Meg Cabot. I'm sure you guys would have realized that by now, though.


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